The coronavirus pandemic has not only changed our lives but also local police crime statistics, too.
In this post, we’re taking a look at a few key stats and comparing the changes between February and March 2020.
In Prince William County, police issued 1,393 speeding tickets in February. The next month in March, during the onset of a national quarantine order due to the spread of the coronavirus, that number dropped to 698.
Police in neighboring Manassas City issued 183 summons for speeding in February, while March saw 117 cases.
Both jurisdictions also saw decreases in the number of DUI arrests. In Prince William County, police made 139 arrests in February, while March saw a decrease to 97. In Manassas, there were seven arrests in February and six in March.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam issued an order to all Virginia residents to stay at home during the pandemic, until at least June 10. As the quarantine continues, the number of domestic assault and battery cases are on the rise in Prince William.
Prince William County police reported 101 on domestic assault and battery arrests in February, while in March, that number increased to 125.
“This number does not include felonious assaults (strangulation and malicious wounding) as there is no specific charge we are able to calculate since felonious assaults are not specific solely to domestic situations,” said Prince William police First Sgt. Jonathan Perok tells Potomac Local News in an email. “The numbers below are the best we can do to illustrate your request as it’s 1) an arrest associated with a domestic relationship classified under [Virignia] state code, 2) is for an act of violence under [Virginia] state codes.”
Manassas reported five fewer cases, with 25 in February and 20 in March.
If you or a loved one, witnesses or experiences domestic abuse, please don’t wait to call 911 or the National Domestic Abuse Hotline, 1-800-799-7233.
The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office, the Fredericksburg and Manassas Park police departments did not respond to our request for information for this story.
